ELTON JOHN TATTOO

ELTON JOHN TATTOO


http://www.ratemyink.com/?action=ssp&pid=126016

 

This is my Elton John tattoo on my left arm. It was done by Chu at Mothers in Covington, KY!

"Elton John" "Your Song" "MENINAS CANTORAS DE PETRÓPOLIS

Elton John: "Live Like Horses" - Meninas Cantoras de Petrópolis

DOWNLOAD
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B3Y46M42

Concert review: Elton John

http://blog.vivianpaige.com/2011/03/21/concert-review-elton-john/

Elton John at Ted Constant Center. Photo by Sam McDonald via Daily Press

Sir Elton John performed for a sold-out audience Friday evening in Norfolk.  I was among the 10,000 crammed into ODU’s Ted Constant Center for three hours, a welcome break from tax season. I enjoyed the concert but wish he had ditched the entire segment of songs with Leon Russell (the set list is here) and instead sung more of his hits.
His voice was wonderful, if lower than it used to be. Early on, the sound system was quite clear – I could hear the percussionist’s shakers, for example – except for the guitar, which I found strange. As the concert wore on, it seemed they turned up the volume, but even that was OK. I’ve long admired his piano playing and that did not disappoint.
What was really strange, though, was his lack of engaging the audience. This New York Times review from his concert two days describes it:

For most of the concert, though, he seemed happier to yield control to the songs. In a show without much background video or other distractions, Mr. John put himself across evenly, speaking little, tottering around the stage a few times in a black long coat, motioning for applause.

For a very long time, I felt like I was an intruder in a private jam session. He rarely spoke between songs and it wasn’t until he got to “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” that he even invited the audience to sing along.
And that whole Leon Russell thing was really weird. I’ll admit – I never heard of Leon Russell before Friday night, despite his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last week. Besides, I didn’t go to hear Russell (who sounded a lot like Willie Nelson but looked like one of the guys from ZZ Top).
I didn’t expect that John would be the over-the-top performer that he used to be – after all, he’ll be 64 this week – but I thought he’d sing enough of his old songs that it wouldn’t matter.
I’m sure he’s tired of singing the same songs; after all, “Philadelphia Freedom” was released in 1975. Which could be why he sang it so fast. But I never tire of hearing it and based on the audience response, I wasn’t alone. “Daniel,” his hit from 1973, was, unfortunately, cut from the set list.
I’m glad I went – it was good to see one of the performers I listened to as a teenager on WGH, even though he didn’t sing enough of the old songs for me. Another item on my bucket list complete.

3/21/2011

http://theultimatebootlegexperience2.blogspot.com/2011/03/elton-john-1972-02-05-london-uk-flacmp3.html

Elton John - 1972-02-05 - London, UK (FLAC/mp3)

(TV broadcast FLAC/mp3@320)

with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall

Source:
Silver CD

Lineage:
Television Broadcast?>?>CD Silver>EAC WAV>FLAC8

01 - Funeral For A Friend
02 - Tonight
03 - Better Off Dead
04 - Idol
05 - I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself
06 - I Feel like a Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)
07 - Bennie & The Jets
08 - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
09 - Part-time Love
10 - Crazy Water

Notes:
Elton performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for this event. I believe this was Davey Johnstone's first show with Elton (none of the band performances are included here, however, but three are included on the "Elton 60" DVD). This is a "must have" for any serious, or casual, Elton John fan.

Elton John - 1972-02-05 - London, UK
(TV broadcast FLAC)

http://www.fileserve.com/file/uQSJbBy/EltJoh.RoyPhiOrc.1972-02-05.London.FLAC.by.T.U.B.E.rar

mirror:
http://www.filesonic.com/file/284603184/EltJoh.RoyPhiOrc.1972-02-05.London.FLAC.by.T.U.B.E.rar

mirror:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/ca2f00a/n/EltJoh.RoyPhiOrc.1972-02-05.London.FLAC.by.T.U.B.E.rar

Sir Elton gives a great show at Norfolk's Ted

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/03/sir-elton-gives-great-show-norfolks-ted

By Rashod Ollison
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 20, 2011

NORFOLK
Elton John could coast at this point.
One of the richest, most celebrated performers in pop, he certainly doesn't need to tour and give energetic shows like the one at Ted Constant Convocation Center on Friday night. But it's wonderful that the 63-year-old legend has lost none of his soul and passion and still shares it with fans.
Granted, he has mellowed. John isn't storming stages in the flamboyant, glam-rock get-ups of yesterday. But he's still glitzy.
At the Ted, he was stationed at the piano throughout his nearly three-hour show, decked out in a black suit. A glittery green crocodile and a cartoon of a young Elton in a white suit hanging from its mouth emblazoned the back of his long jacket.
The well-paced show centered on John's greatest hits and fan favorites. In a career spanning more than 40 years (he scored big hits in each decade), there were plenty. He was backed by a powerful nine-piece band that included drummer Nigel Olsson, a longtime member of John's band, and acclaimed vocalists Tata Vega and Rose Stone, sister of Sly and an original member of Sly & the Family Stone.
During the first half of the show, John and the band stretched out on extended versions of cuts from 1971's "Madman Across the Water" and 1973's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," two of his most ambitious albums. "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer" morphed into driving rock-gospel workouts, emboldened with John's dazzling piano anchoring each song.
His voice has deepened with age, adding an attractive emotional heft and grit to the ballads, especially "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "Candle in the Wind." As John performed the latter song, lights from cell phones dotted the darkened arena and waved from side to side.
Midway into the show, after an epic take on "Rocket Man" featuring long piano and rock guitar solos, stagehands pushed out another grand piano opposite John's. The artist then introduced his "idol," Leon Russell, the silver-haired singer-songwriter. In October, John and the 68-year-old, who on Monday was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, released "The Union," a back-to-basics duet album produced by T Bone Burnett.
The raucous energy of the show dipped as John and Russell traded verses and piano solos. They performed about five songs from "The Union" - all well-written and deftly crafted, but they warranted more intimate arrangements. The band nearly overpowered Russell.
After his exit, John returned to high-octane rock that had the house, packed mostly with baby boomers, on its feet. Preceded by a long, intricate piano solo, "Take Me to the Pilot" churned with pronounced elements of the blues and gospel, whose undercurrents have always blown through John's style.
He didn't talk much throughout the show but still managed to engage. Just before launching into "Bennie and the Jets," he invited those seated in the first few rows to come closer. John pounded out the staccato chords, as aging baby boomers rushed the stage as if were 1974.

Bridge School Benefit - 2010-10-24 - Mountain View, CA (FLAC) by REQUEST

(Audience FLAC)

Oct 24 2010 - Sunday
Shoreline Amphitheater

Neumann KM140s > Sound Devices MP2 > Edirol R09 > WAV > Audition > CDWave > FLAC

Performers

1 Neil Young (solo)

2 Grizzly Bear

3 Modest Mouse

4 Kris Kristoferson

5 T-Bone Burnett's Speaking Clock Review
>> Featuring >>
-- Elvis Costello
-- Neko Case
-- Jeff Bridges
-- Ralph Stanley
-- Elton John & Leon Russell

6 Pearl Jam

7 Buffalo Springfield

******************************

*****
Neil Young
Sugar Mountain
Comes A Time (w/Pegi Young)

Grizzly Bear
While You Wait For The Others
Two Weeks
All We Ask
Balmy Night (Department of Eagles cover) (Daniel Solo)

Modest Mouse
Wild Pack of Family Dogs
Bukowski
Lives
Dashboard
The Devil's Workday
Blame It on the Tetons
Four Fingered Fisherman
Here's to Now (Ugly Casanova cover)

(T-Bone Burnett's Speaking Clock Review)

*Elvis Costello*
King of America
Slow Drag with Josephine
Jimmie Standing in the Rain
Sulphur to Sugarcane
National Ransom

*Neko Case*
Hold On, Hold On
Vengeance Is Sleeping
Dirty Knife

*Jeff Bridges*
Fallin' & Flyin' (w/Elvis Costello)
Brand New Angel

*Ralph Stanley*
(Unknown)
Lift Him Up
Man Of Constant Sorrow

*Elton John & Leon Russell*

If It Wasn't For Bad
Jimmie Rodgers' Dream
A Dream Come True
Gone to Shiloh (w/Neil Young)
Hearts Have Turned to Stone
When Love is Dying
Monkey Suit
Hey Ahab
There's No Tomorrow (w/Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Jeff Bridges, and Ralph Stanley)

(Kris Kristofferson)
Me & Bobby McGee
Jody and the Kid
Here Comes That Rainbow Again
The Promise
Sunday Morning Coming Down
Why Me?

(Pearl Jam)
Daughter
Down
Driftin'
Other Side (1st time played live)
The End
Walk With Me (Neil Young cover) (w/Neil Young)
Lukin
Just Breathe
Black
Eldery Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town

(Buffalo Springfield)
On the Way Home
Rock & Roll Woman
Child's Claim
Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It?
Go and Say Goodbye
I Am a Child
Kind Woman
Burned
For What It's Worth
Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing
Bluebird
Mr. Soul

Encore:
Rockin' In The Free World (w/everyone)

http://hotfile.com/dl/79491043/ecb08c8/BSB-2010-10-24-km140s.flac16.rar.html
http://uploading.com/files/616mddbb/BSB-2010-10-24-km140s.flac16.rar/
http://www.fileserve.com/file/55M8APF
http://www.filefactory.com/file/b41128d/n/BSB-2010-10-24-km140s.flac16.rar

Elton John cleans up his act

http://www.bendbulletin.com/article/20110320/NEWS0107/103200357/

By Mark Beech / Bloomberg News

Published: March 20. 2011 4:00AM PST

NEW YORK — Perhaps it’s something to do with becoming a father. Elton John has cleaned up his act.
At New York’s Madison Square Garden, the British singer gave a preview last week of his new slimmed-down show that will be rolling out nationwide over the next few months, then around the world through November.
This time, there are no inflatable breasts and phallic bananas. The Las Vegas glitz of the Red Piano Tour is replaced by a stark black stage. Instead of Pamela Anderson pole-dancing, the veteran band studiously delivers 27 songs.
The jukebox of biggest hits kicks off promisingly with “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” embellished with flourishes from John’s longtime guitarist Davey Johnstone. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” rocks so hard that nobody seems to notice that it’s actually Wednesday.
Then John introduces “my idol” Leon Russell — an imposing figure who looks like Santa Claus and Gandalf rolled into one. Russell, inducted this week into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by John, joins him to perform tracks from their album “the Union,” released last year.
Gregg Allman joins the two onstage to share the vocals on “Gone to Shiloh.”
John has replaced his sophisticated video screens used on previous tours with some alarmingly literal effects. Golden lighting is used for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” blue for “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and a picture of a flame for “Candle in the Wind.”
Things also go off the boil with a couple of songs from 1971’s “Madman Across the Water.”
The accelerator kicks in just in time, with coruscating versions of “The Bitch Is Back” and “Burn Down the Mission.”
The three-hour show isn’t John at his outrageous showman best, though it shows why he is a consummate entertainer capable of selling 250 million records. The crowd in the 20,000-capacity arena waves lighters, sings every word, dances to “Crocodile Rock” and cheers as John declares the hall his favorite venue. He ends with an emotional encore of “Your Song,” dedicated to New York, “a great city.”

2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Recap

http://www.suite101.com/content/2011-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-recap-a360588

By Paul Brown

Last Updated Mar 21, 2011, Published Mar 20, 2011

Tom Waits performs at the 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini

Read more at Suite101: 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Recap http://www.suite101.com/content/2011-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-recap-a360588#ixzz1HHH2q1gB

Stellar performances from Tom Waits and Darlene Love were the best moments of the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Tom Waits provided the highlights of the 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which aired (in highly edited form) on March 20, 2011 on Fuse. Dr. John, Darlene Love, Alice Cooper, Leon Russell, and Neil Diamond were also inducted, and gave performances of highly variable quality.

Dr. John

The ceremony opened with John Legend speaking about Dr. John. He spoke about the importance of New Orleans’ musical heritage and Dr. John’s role in preserving and promoting the city’s legacy.
After a series of clips recapping Dr. John’s career, the show interwove moments from his speech with his performance of his classic “Right Place, Wrong Time”. A duet with Legend on “Such a Night” followed, highlighted by the interplay between the two on piano towards the song’s conclusion.
Darlene Love
Next, Bette Midler gave the induction speech for Darlene Love. She said that listening to Love’s music changed her view of the world, and called her “the very embodiment of teen spirit in the 60’s”.
Midler touched on some of the difficulties in Love’s career, but emphasized that she always triumphed and endured. The montage of clips found her talking about the sound of the records she made with Phil Spector and her lifelong love of gospel music.
Love took the stage and thanked Midler as “one of the celebrities who always returned my calls”. She also thanked bandleader Paul Schaffer, and mentioned that she would turn 70 in July. Her voice remained in remarkably good condition for her age, as displayed by her performance of “The Boy I’m Gonna Marry”.
She was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen for a performance of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” that drew heavily on gospel. He remained in the backing band for Love’s final number, a duet with Midler on “He’s a Rebel”.

Images

Alice Cooper

In a drastic change of pace, Alice Cooper was inducted by Rob Zombie. But in keeping with the professionalism of the occasion, Zombie was relatively subdued, apart from using the term “badass motherf---ers”.
He told the story of Cooper’s disastrous stage debut and Frank Zappa signing the band, describing them as “murderous drag queens”. The clips wisely focused on the early period when “Alice Cooper” was still a band and not just the lead singer’s pseudonym.
Cooper’s speech continued this theme, as he cited Glen Buxton as “the heart and soul of our band”. The rest of the speech was edited together with his performance of “Eighteen”, which sounded tame and nowhere near as jarring as it should have in this context.
Bassist Dennis Dunaway and guitarist Michael Bruce also got their moments at the podium. Drummer Neal Smith reiterated the importance of Buxton to the group, leading into a performance of “School’s Out” with a chorus of children wearing Cooper’s trademark facial makeup.

Tom Waits

His brow covered by a black hat, Neil Young admitted he had no notes for his introduction for Tom Waits. He spoke of Waits’ “immense talent” before the clips recapping Waits’ career played.
In contrast to the Cooper segment, the clips spanned Waits’ career, and if anything the later music sounded even stronger than the earlier work. Waits has remained remarkably creative and innovative throughout his time in the music industry.
Waits’ passionate rendition of “Make It Rain” was one of the evening’s highlights, and his speech was full of humor (he looked at the trophy and said he’d rather have a keychain-sized version). He described songs as “something interesting to do with the air”.
That led into a story about Lightning Hopkins, and how seeing that he had a room with a “KEEP OUT” sign told him he needed to get into show business as soon as possible. He thanked his family, in particular his wife and songwriting partner Kathleen Brennan.
His second performance, “Rain Dogs”, was just as strong as the first, and at the end the show cut back to Waits concluding his speech. After another humorous story about being given the key to the city of El Paso, he thanked Young and called his induction “encouraging”.

Leon Russell

Elton John introduced Leon Russell, describing how he first saw him performing with Delaney & Bonnie and how they later worked together. He talked about how surprised he was to learn how many records Russell played on, and listed a portion of his sessions.
He talked about reconnecting with Russell in 2009 after losing touch with him for decades, and a series of clips recounted the beginnings of Russell’s career and his work on George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh.
Russell performed “Delta Lady“ and “A Song for You”, and while his voice was somewhat frail, he still put a great deal of emotion into his singing.

Neil Diamond

After a clip of Doors drummer John Densmore presenting the Ahmet Ertegun Award to Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, Paul Simon introduced Neil Diamond, saying he was known in his neighborhood as “the Jewish Elvis Presley”.
Diamond’s speech was surprisingly grouchy, though he may have intended it to be humorous. He admitted towards the end that he didn’t have a written speech, which went a long way towards explaining the rambling nature of his remarks.
His performance of "I Am, I Said" started out as a stripped-down acoustic number and then built to a grandiose full band arrangement. Diamond's voice sounded essentially the same as in the past, though compared to the passion of Love or Waits, he seemed somewhat lacking in enthusiasm.
He picked up the pace for "Sweet Caroline", wandering through the audience and getting Bruce Springsteen to sing along for a verse. Diamond seemed more natural in this performance, though his attempts at humor still felt strained.

Group Finale

The group jam at the end kicked off with Lloyd Price trading off verses of "Stagger Lee" with Dr. John, Russell, and Elton John. Cooper inexplicably sang lead on "Da Doo Ron Ron" before Midler took over. Diamond, Love, and Elton John all joined in to bring the number to a close.

Read more at Suite101: 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Recap http://www.suite101.com/content/2011-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-recap-a360588#ixzz1HHGzWGAr

Elton John - 1998-01-23 - Nashville, TN (DVDfull pro-shot)

(DVDfull pro-shot)

NTSC

Source: Pro Shot video (possibly the house cameras), SBD audio
Lineage: ?>DVD


Elton John- Piano/vocals
Davey Johnstone- Guitars/vocals
John Jorgenson-Guitars/Sax/vocals
Bob Birch- Bass/vocals
Guy Babylon- Keyboards
Charlie Morgan- Drums
John Mahon- Percussion/vocals
Billy Trudel-vocals

01 - Simple Life
02 - The One
03 - Grey Seal
04 - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
05 - Honky Cat
06 - Can You Feel the Love Tonight
07 - Tiny Dancer
08 - I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues
09 - If the River Can Bend
10 - I Don't Wanna Go on With You Like That
11 - Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
12 - Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
13 - The Last Song
14 - Daniel
15 - Love's Got Alot to Answer For
16 - Take Me to the Pilot
17 - Something About the Way You Look Tonight
18 - Made In England
19 - Believe
20 - Philadelphia Freedom
21 - Bennie and the Jets
22 - Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Notes:
This is a real nice Pro-shot DVD, with SBD audio. My guess is that this was sourced by the cameras used at the venue for the big screens. This was Elton's "The Big Picture" Tour, and features three songs from that album as well as a couple from his 1995 album, "Made in England". I believe an encore number is missing, as he was playing "Great Balls of Fire" on that tour as a final number, and it is not here.

::: FILEFACTORY ::: FILESERVE ::: FILESONIC :::





http://www.filefactory.com/file/ca2b761/n/DV.ElJo.1998-01-23.Nashville.rar

http://www.fileserve.com/file/pWyrTph

http://www.filesonic.it/file/277925961

The Second Disc

http://theseconddisc.com/2011/03/21/reissue-theory-elton-john-to-be-continued-1992-2010/

Expanded and Remastered Music News

Reissue Theory: Elton John, “To Be Continued…1992-2010″

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Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they may some day see. It’s been over two decades since Elton John released his career-spanning To Be Continued… box set, and so much has happened with his career since then. How do you cover such ground? Simple – make another one!
It’s only appropriate that Elton John titled his 1992 album The One. It was a major first for the superstar: his first album recorded in all too many years without any drugs or alcohol. It took the 1990 death of 18-year old Ryan White, a victim of AIDS acquired through a blood transfusion to treat hemophilia, to inspire John to embark on the road to sobriety. (Two years after White’s death, John created The Elton John AIDS Foundation and today remains a tireless champion in the fight against the disease.) In the very same year of 1990, John released one of the most lavish compact disc box sets released up to that time. Despite the LP-sized, four-disc collection’s title To Be Continued…, it’s likely that John didn’t realize just how drastically his life would change in the ensuing years. After all, the future brought more hits, Academy Awards, Tony Awards and a drug and alcohol-free life that, indeed, continues to the present day.
Today’s Reissue Theory posits what an expanded, up-to-date edition of To Be Continued… might look like. Very few career-spanning box sets have been updated in this manner; a notable exception is 1991’s Forty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett, which gained a fifth disc to become Fifty Years in 2004. If anyone is deserving of this accolade, however, it’s the original Rocket Man. Once disc couldn’t possibly cover the amount of ground John has travelled since 1990, so we’ve created To Be Continued…1992-2010, an sequel to that seminal box. Our first two discs take us on a journey from 1992 to 2010, encompassing John’s Adult Contemporary smashes of the 1990s and the more rootsy, back-to-basics sounds he’s embraced in the past decade. The third disc is dedicated to John’s theatre and film work, a surprisingly large part of his current career in music. Finally, we have an entire disc devoted to the singer’s collaborative guest appearances, as he may be the most frequent duet partner in modern recorded music! (This disc would be the most difficult to assemble due to licensing restrictions, but such an effort is far from unprecedented.) Our goal is to encompass both studio and live recordings, released and unreleased, familiar and unfamiliar.  We hope to have crafted a definitive latter-day retrospective to follow the already-exemplary original box set.
Let’s begin after the jump, okay?
By 1992, Elton John had embraced sobriety and was ready to return to the recording studio.  The result was The One, an 11-track set co-written with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin with Chris Thomas at the production helm. The One showed that Elton was still at the top of his game more than twenty years after his chart debut, especially with Adult Contemporary listeners. The title track hit No. 1 on the AC chart and went Top 10 pop. “Simple Life” also hit No. 1 AC and “The Last Song” wasn’t far behind. “Runaway Train,” with guest Eric Clapton, charted in the U.K. Clearly the 1990s were off to a great start for Elton John. He followed The One with a starry duets album, but its success was topped when he teamed with lyricist Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita) to compose the score to Walt Disney Pictures’ The Lion King in 1994. The magnitude of this assignment would define John for most of the rest of the decade and gain him an Oscar in the process. Still, he returned to the studio with Bernie Taupin’s lyrics for 1995’s Made in England, co-produced with Greg Penny, and as the title indicates, the album was a post-Lion King attempt to reconnect with his musical roots.
Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper of the original Elton John Band returned, as did arranger Paul Buckmaster. Taupin’s lyrical concept for the album was an unusual one; only the title track had more than one word in the title. Both “Believe” (No. 1 AC) and “Blessed” (No. 2 AC) performed well, with the former edging the latter on the pop chart for a No. 13 peak. John could still count on lite-music radio play for his current material while his 1970s triumphs were heard daily on classic rock and increasingly, oldies formats, as the oldies concept shifted from the 1950s/1960s to 1960s/1970s. He wouldn’t actually come full circle to the sound of his early recordings for some years yet.
1997’s The Big Picture found the artist in familiar territory with a solidly crafted collection of predictable pop and AC ballads. The album has been dismissed recently by John as one made more out of commercial consideration than creative inspiration. That said, both “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” and “Recover Your Soul” were melodically appealing; “Something” topped the AC chart and made quite a splash, sales-wise. Why? It happened to be featured on the CD single of “Candle in the Wind (1997),” John’s George Martin-produced tribute to Diana, the late Princess of Wales. This single went on to become the biggest-selling single in Billboard history, and though John has emphatically stated that he will never perform “Candle in the Wind (1997)” again unless expressly requested by Princess Diana’s sons, it would seem inappropriate to eliminate the biggest-selling single of all time from our career anthology.
Disc One ends with a trio of live cover versions as John eased into his role as an elder statesman of rock and pop. As part of this role, inveterate music fan and collector John frequently mentored and championed young songwriters. He credited Ryan Adams, the writer of “Oh My Sweet Carolina,” with inspiring him to return to his musical roots rather than continue his Adult Contemporary supremacy. After more film work and his first stage musical ventures, 2001’s Songs from the West Coast was the result of John’s rekindled passion. Opening our Disc Two, the Patrick Leonard-produced album was almost universally hailed as his best effort since 1976’s Blue Moves. West Coast was incredibly diverse, like that sprawling classic. Witness the country-rock of “Birds,” the deep soul of “This Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore,” and pure pop of “I Want Love.” (The latter was aided by a video starring Robert Downey Jr.!) “Original Sin” may have been one of John’s most beautiful melodies ever, but much attention was given to “The Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes” and “American Triangle,” two stunning compositions by John and Taupin touching on AIDS and the tragic death of Matthew Shepard, respectively. Songs from the West Coast announced a superstar who was still relevant and still capable of surprising.
2004’s Peachtree Road was the direct sonic follow-up to West Coast, but John had an unexpected thrill in 2003 when his 1979 “Are You Ready for Love,” produced by Philly soul master Thom Bell, shot to the top of the U.K. charts after placement in an television ad for Sky Sports. We’ve included the song here as it was overlooked on the first box set; when performing in Britain, John still performs it today. Peachtree Road took the country leanings of West Coast even further, with John self-producing for the first time. He delivered a set of alternately stirring and subtle ballads and anthems, but never crosses the line from organic pop/rock to Adult Contemporary gloss. “All That I’m Allowed (I’m Thankful)” and “Answer in the Sky,” two of the most powerful melodies John had penned in years, both recalled his 1970s heyday. “Turn the Lights Out When You Leave” was an aching C&W tune while “They Call Her the Cat” showed that the piano man could still rock. Critical acclaim was stronger than sales, but John hardly seemed concerned. One B-side to a U.K. single of “Turn the Lights Out” was “Peter’s Song,” written by John and Taupin for the film Finding Neverland but ultimately unused by the filmmakers. We’ve included this lost gem here, and we follow that with a brace of tracks from 2006’s wistful The Captain and the Kid. John’s autobiographical concept album sequel to 1975’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the work of two mature artists looking back on their lives with great nostalgia and affection. Finally, Disc Two closes with four tracks from 2010’s The Union, John’s critically-hailed collaboration with his early idol Leon Russell. The Union made a strong showing at No. 3 on the album charts its first week of release, shockingly John’s highest opening placement since 1976’s Blue Moves.
Disc Three turns to stage and screen. It’s impossible to contain all of John’s song contributions to films on one disc, but we’ve opened with the three tracks recorded by John from his biggest movie project of all: the score to The Lion King. Of course, the smash “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” makes an appearance. After Disney Theatrical Productions’ enormously successful movie-to-stage transformation of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King was a natural for the company’s next Broadway berth. With visionary direction by Julie Taymor (recently-ousted helmer of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), it was the toast of Broadway, defeating the ambitious literary adaptation Ragtime at the 52nd Annual Tony Awards in 1998. (Ragtime’s Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, however, took home the Best Score prize.) Having gotten his feet wet with The Lion King, John and lyricist Tim Rice embarked on another theatrical project, and they wouldn’t have to wait long for that Tony! They were signed to write their first wholly original Broadway score for a musical update of Verdi’s Aida. Originally titled Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida in its 1998 premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia (John’s American home), it lost a few words in the title and gained a new director, co-writers and designers by the time of its Broadway debut at The Palace in 2000. Disney’s gamble paid off. Aida ran for over four years and 1,852 performances on the Main Stem, and picked up Tony Awards for its leading actress, Heather Headley, as well as in Lighting, Scenic Design and yes, Best Score categories. (It was excluded from the Best Musical running.) We’ve included tracks from both John’s commercially released concept album and his original, unreleased demo recordings.
John also found time to compose an orchestral score to Albert Brooks’ comedy The Muse as well as songs for DreamWorks’ animated buddy musical The Road to El Dorado and the Julia Roberts vehicle Mona Lisa Smile. More notable are his last two Broadway efforts to date. 2006’s Lestat ranks as his only theatrical failure, and the only one to feature lyrics by Taupin. While the show only played 39 performances, John’s music was generally the least of its problems, and some attractive melodies were to be found. Best of them all was “Right Before My Eyes,” a song written and inserted during the troubled Broadway preview period, and then roundly ignored. It’s criminal that this melody is so unknown, as it’s one of John’s most longing. It deserves a pop reincarnation devoid of the vampiric lyrics. “Right Before My Eyes” has been included from a live television performance on Ellen, while two other songs have been drawn from John’s demos. Opening in 2005 in London and 2008 in New York, Billy Elliot is John’s most successful original score to date, both artistically and commercially. The singer/songwriter clearly felt a kinship with the title character, a boy who yearns to dance. John and lyricist/librettist Lee Hall crafted a moving score including Billy’s anthem of empowerment, “Electricity” and the ironically jovial “Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher.” While a new musical hasn’t yet emerged, John wrote an end title song for Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 film Australia and also contributed two new songs to Gnomeo and Juliet produced by his own Rocket Pictures. “Hello, Hello,” performed in the film as a duet with Lady Gaga, was unavailable to appear on Walt Disney Records’ original soundtrack recording, but our hypothetical collection has included it to round out Disc Three. (Such material usually has a way of trickling out at some point in the future!)
Disc Four, The Collaborations, was the hardest to assemble by a country mile! In his long career, it’s easier to think of artists who have collaborated with Elton John than those who haven’t. Among the duet partners not represented on our collection: Neil Sedaka, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Randy Newman, Luciano Pavarotti, Dolly Parton, Rosie O’Donnell, Tina Turner, Cher, Collective Soul, Shawn Mullins, Earl Scruggs, Brian Wilson, Bruce Hornsby, B.B. King, Patti LaBelle, Joss Stone, Ann Wilson, Charles Aznavour…and Bob the Builder. Just to name a few!
So who has made the cut? As Elton John’s musical collaborations run the stylistic gamut, we’ve decided to represent as many genres as possible, and these tracks encompass both covers of favorite songs and originals. Hence, our eclectic Disc Four includes appearances by Tony Bennett, Alice in Chains, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, The Scissor Sisters, Ray Charles, Elvis Costello, Billy Joel and RuPaul, among others! Of course, we’ve included the chart-topping revival of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with George Michael, and “True Love” with Kiki Dee, reuniting John with his “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” partner. John’s duet streak shows no sign of letting up; he joined with Kanye West for West’s “All of the Lights” late in 2010, and his mutual admiration society with Leon Russell is thriving onstage today.
Consideration was given to changing the title of this box set sequel. But in 2011, at the age of 64, Elton John seems as busy as ever, with music, philanthropy and now fatherhood. The story of Captain Fantastic is still, simply, To Be Continued…
Elton John, To Be Continued…1992-2010 (Universal, 2011)
Disc 1: In the Studio and Onstage 1992-2000

1. The One (5:53)
2. Simple Life (6:26)
3. The Last Song (3:20)
4. Runaway Train (5:23)
5. Duet for One (4:51)
6. Made in England (5:09)
7. Believe (4:55)
8. Blessed (5:01)
9. You Can Make History (Young Again) (4:56)
10. Recover Your Soul (5:18)
11. Something About the Way You Look Tonight (5:08)
12. Candle in the Wind (1997) (4:11)
13. Free Man in Paris (Live) (previously unreleased) (approx. 3:00)
14. God Only Knows (Live) (previously unreleased) (approx. 3:00)
15. Oh My Sweet Carolina (Live) (previously unreleased) (approx. 4:00)

Disc 2: In the Studio 2000-2010

1. I Want Love (4:35)
2. Original Sin (4:49)
3. This Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore (4:39)
4. Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes (4:52)
5. Are You Ready for Love (’79 Radio Edit) (3:33)
6. Answer in the Sky (4:03)
7. All That I’m Allowed (I’m Thankful) (4:52)
8. Turn the Lights Out When You Leave (5:02)
9. Peter’s Song (B-side) (3:34)
10. Tinderbox (4:26)
11. The Bridge (3:38)
12. The Captain and the Kid (5:01)
13. If It Wasn’t for Bad (3:42)
14. Gone to Shiloh (4:50)
15. The Best Part of the Day (4:45)
16. Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody) (4:57)

Disc 3: Stage and Screen

1. Circle of Life (4:50)
2. Can You Feel the Love Tonight (3:59)
3. I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (3:35)
4. Written in the Stars (with LeAnn Rimes) (4:17)
5. My Strongest Suit (Demo) (previously unreleased) (5:11)
6. A Step Too Far (with Heather Headley and Sherie Rene Scott) (4:01)
7. Elaborate Lives (Demo) (previously unreleased) (5:53)
8. The Muse (4:22)
9. Someday Out of the Blue (with The Backstreet Boys) (4:47)
10. The Heart of Every Girl (from Mona Lisa Smile) (3:40)
11. Make Me as You Are (Demo) (previously unreleased) (4:33)
12. I Want More (Demo) (previously unreleased) (4:00)
13. Right Before My Eyes (Live) (previously unreleased) (approx. 3:00)
14. Electricity (Orchestral Version) (3:52)
15. Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher (3:38)
16. Expressing Yourself (Demo) (previously unreleased) (4:02)
17. The Drover’s Ballad (from Australia) (previously unreleased) (4:29)
18. Hello, Hello (with Lady Gaga) (from Gnomeo and Juliet) (previously unreleased) (approx. 4:00)

Disc 4: The Collaborations

1. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (with George Michael) (5:49)
2. True Love (with Kiki Dee) (3:33)
3. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (with RuPaul) (Single Edit) (4:01)
4. The Show Must Go On (Live 1997) – Queen + Elton John (4:35)
5. I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues (with Mary J. Blige, 2001) (3:37)
6. Stan (Live, 2001 – with Eminem) (6:30)
7. Your Song (Live, with Billy Joel, The Concert for New York City, 2001) (previously unreleased) (5:25)
8. Teardrops (with Lulu, 2002) (4:42)
9. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (with Ray Charles, 2004) (3:59)
10. Anyone Who Had a Heart (with Luther Vandross, 2005) (4:52)
11. Makin’ Whoopee (with Rod Stewart, 2005) (3:11)
12. Alone Again Naturally (with Pet Shop Boys, 2005) (previously unreleased) (3:49)
13. I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ – The Scissor Sisters, 2006 (4:48)
14. Rags to Riches (with Tony Bennett, 2006) (2:40)
15. Down River (with Elvis Costello, 2008) (previously unreleased) (approx. 4:14)
16. 2 Man Show – Timbaland feat. Elton John, 2008 (6:30)
17. Black Gives Way to Blue – Alice in Chains, 2009 (Piano Mix) (3:03)

Disc 1, Tracks 1-4 from The One, MCA 10614, 1992
Disc 1, Track 5 & Disc 4, Track 2 from Duets, MCA 10926, 1993
Disc 1, Tracks 6-8 from Made in England, Rocket/Island 314 526 185-2, 1995
Disc 1, Track 9 from Love Songs, MCA 114181, 1996
Disc 1, Tracks 10-11 from The Big Picture, Rocket/Mercury 314 536 266-2, 1997
Disc 1, Track 12 from Something About the Way You Look Tonight, Rocket/A&M single 314 568 108 2, 1997
Disc 1, Track 13 previously unreleased on CD, from An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell (2000)
Disc 1, Track 14 previously unreleased on CD, from An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson (2001)
Disc 1, Track 15 previously unreleased on CD, from CMT Crossroads (2002)
Disc 2, Tracks 1-4 from Songs from the West Coast (Mercury 586459, 2001)
Disc 2, Track 5 from Are You Ready for Love, Southern Fried/Mercury/Ultra single UL 1177-2, 2003
Disc 2, Tracks 6-8 from Peachtree Road, Mercury 986876, 2004
Disc 2, Track 9 from Turn the Lights Out When You Leave, Rocket single 9870663, 2004
Disc 2, Tracks 10-12 from The Captain and the Kid, Interscope B0007837-02, 2006
Disc 2, Tracks 13-16 from The Union, Decca 14840, 2010
Disc 3, Tracks 1-3 from The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Walt Disney Records 60858-7. 1994
Disc 3, Tracks 4 & 6 from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, Rocket/Island 314 524 628-2, 1999
Disc 3, Tracks 5 & 7 previously unreleased demos from the musical Aida
Disc 3, Track 8 from The Muse: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Rocket/Island 314 546 517-2, 1999
Disc 3, Track 9 from Elton John’s The Road to El Dorado, DreamWorks 0044-50259-2, 2000
Disc 3, Track 10 from Mona Lisa Smile, Epic EK 90737, 2003
Disc 3, Tracks 11-12 previously unreleased demos from the musical Lestat
Disc 2, Track 13 previously unreleased live performance on Ellen from the musical Lestat
Disc 3, Track 14 from Electricity, Rocket/Mercury single 9872183, 2005
Disc 3, Track 15 from Peachtree Road: Limited Edition, Rocket/Mercury 9872303, 2004
Disc 3, Track 16 previously unreleased, from the musical Billy Elliot
Disc 3, Track 17 previously available as promotional CD-R, no cat. no., from the film Australia
Disc 3, Track 18 previously unreleased on CD, from the film Gnomeo and Juliet
Disc 4, Track 1 from Columbia single 44K 74130, 1991
Disc 4, Track 3 from MCA single MCA5P2967, 1993
Disc 4, Track 4 from Queen, Greatest Hits III, Hollywood 162250, 1999
Disc 4, Track 5 from Universal single UNIR 20349-2, 2000
Disc 4, Tracks 6 from Curtain Call: The Hits (Aftermath/Interscope B0005881-02, 2005)
Disc 4, Tracks 7 and 15 previously unreleased television performances
Disc 4, Track 8 from Lulu, Together, Mercury 0630212, 2002
Disc 4, Track 9 from Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company, Concord/Hear Music 2248, 2004
Disc 4, Track 10 from So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross, J Records 82876 62472-2, 2005
Disc 4, Track 11 from Rod Stewart, The Great American Songbook IV, J Records 82876 75190-2, 2005
Disc 4, Track 12 from Gilbert O’Sullivan, UK publishing promotional CD, Sony BMG PUB063, 2005
Disc 4, Track 13 from Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah!, Universal Motown 0007499, 2006
Disc 4, Track 14 from Tony Bennett, Duets: An American Classic, Columbia 80979, 2006
Disc 4, Track 16 from Timbaland, Presents Shock Value, Interscope 8594, 2007
Disc 4, Track 17 from Alice in Chains, Black Gives Way to Blue digital-only single (EMI/Virgin), 2009

9/25/2010

Elton John - 1974-12-24 - London, UK (DVDfull pro-shot)

(DVDfull pro-shot)

Christmas In London 1974 MasterPort pro shot NTSC

audio
MPEG-2 Program Stream << { 1 vid, 1 aud }
Sys Bitrate: 10080 kb/s VBR
cbr
0xc0:48000Hz 384 kb/s tot , Stereo

Video
Codec(s) are Installed
18 max; N=18, M=3 (97%)
pic 720 x 480

10. Grimsby
11. Rocket Man
12. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
13. Daniel
14. Grey Seal


01. Bob Harris's Announcement
02. Bennie And The Jets
03. Band Introduction
04. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
05. I Saw Her Standing There
06. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
07. Honky Cat
08. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
09. Crocodile Rock
10. The Bitch Is Back
11. Your Song
12. White Christmas (Special Guest: Rod Stewart and Gary Glitter)
13. Outro

A very good recording which has't been effected by age. Only BBC can tell you why they didn't record the whole show. On a personal note I think Neigel Olson was the best drummer in pop music. He would have been killer in a Rock Band. The rest of the writeing comes from a web page.By late 1974, Elton John was as big as he was ever going to be. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road had already seen him peak as a writer, but he wasn’t quite ready to commence the downward slide that eventually engulfed the remainder of his 1970s and, as a live performer, he was still at the top of his game. Who better, then, to ring in that year’s Christmas season with a one hour televised concert, courtesy of the British Old Grey Whistle Test?

The cameras caught the entire show, but broadcast just two-thirds of it. Here, the full 82 minute outing is presented in all its vibrant color and cabaret outrage, with Elton simply banging out the hits and the favorites - "Crocodile Rock," "Honky Cat," "Lucy In The Sky," "Benny and the Jets," you name it, it’s probably here.

The disc is divided into two parts; the opening half dozen songs, before the broadcast got under way, include excellent versions of "Rocket Man," "Daniel" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"; Whistle Test viewers joined the show midway through "Grey Seal," and then stayed on board all the way through to the riotous closing Christmas wishes, with Elton joined onstage by Rod Stewart and Gary Glitter, positively the only other figures on the UK scene of the day that could share his limelight and not be dwarfed by his platforms.

A large timing strip across the bottom of the picture does detract from the quality of the print, but one quickly grows accustomed to it. Besides, there’s so much going on elsewhere on stage that why would you even be looking down there? There’s a lot of other Elton live footage out there, vintage and recent, officially sanctioned and otherwise. Of it all, however, this is Elton at his peak, musically, visually and, via those trademark spectacular spectacles, sartorially. - Dave Thompson






http://www.filefactory.com/file/b3a5bah/n/DV.ElJo.1974-12-24.London.rar

http://www.fileserve.com/file/vqYzhsa

http://hotfile.com/dl/71601311/38944a6/DV.ElJo.1974-12-24.London.rar.html

Caleb Quaye Former Guitarist for Elton John Heard God's Voice; Now Serves the Lord

Caleb Quaye Former Guitarist for Elton John Heard God's Voice; Now Serves the Lord 

Former Guitarist for Elton John Heard God's Voice; Now Serves the Lord

Caleb Quaye, who has played guitar for the likes of Elton John and Hall & Oates, will be in Moncton this weekend to give a guitar seminar and a free concert Saturday night at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Centre.

http://kittysoulflower.blogspot.com/2011/03/former-guitarist-for-elton-john-heard.html


Teresa Neumann (March 21, 2011)

The title of his autobiography is, "A Voice Louder Than Rock & Roll."
(Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada)—Caleb Quaye played guitar for music legends Elton John, Mick Jagger, Hall and Oates, and other music legends before he found Christ and his life was transformed. Today, Quaye resides in California. Scheduled to conduct some guitar workshops and perform a free concert in Moncton, he was interviewed by Alan Cochrane of the Times and Transcript.

In the interview, Quaye—whose autobiography is titled "A Voice Louder Than Rock & Roll"—talks about being saved after a party he attended when he heard a voice tell him his life was going to change.

"Music and the arts are a gift from God, and there is a purpose to it. So why do so many people go off the deep end? God gives this gift for the purpose of blessing people. When God gives a gift, He doesn't switch it off and He's not sorry that He gave the gift, but it's up to us what we do with it, and in order to keep that gift in its proper perspective, we have to simply be in a relationship with the Giver of that gift. And if we're not in a relationship with the Giver of that gift, the very gift and all the adulation that comes along with it becomes a curse and there is no peace. That's why musicians and creative people often turn to drugs in a futalistic [sic] attempt to try and find some peace, because you can't switch it off."
He is quoted as saying the magic of being onstage performing is intoxicating, but performers need to learn how to control it. "Otherwise," he said, "you think it's you, and it's not."
Read more about British-born Quaye and how he loves to help youth improve their guitar skills and avoid a path of moral destruction, follow the link provided.

Caleb From: London, England	(1) view comments

Caleb was actually Caleb Quaye backed by a group of Fontana studio musicians, including David Hynes (drums, vocals) of the Mirage and Elton John (then Reginald Dwight) on keyboards. One classic single ('Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad' b/w 'Woman Of Distinction') was issued in the summer of 1967 under the Caleb moniker and, although it never charted, it is considered by many to be one of the best 60s psychedelic 45s ever released.

Quaye, an accomplished guitarist, was born in London, England in 1948 and started his professional music career in the early 60s as a member of Long John Baldry's backup band, Bluesology. It was when this band broke up in 1967 that he wrote and released the Caleb single.

In early 1968, he appeared as a session player on Nicky James outstanding song 'Silver Butterfly' and late that year produced Apple's outstanding sole and self-titled LP. In 1969 he became a member of the short-lived band Argosy, which also included Elton John and then pre-Supertramp member Roger Hodgson. This band split after releasing only one single at which time Quaye then formed the group Hookfoot in the spring of 1970.

In the early-mid 70s, Quaye played in Elton John's backup band and appeared on several of his LPs. In the late 70s he went on to play with Hall & Oats and then in 1982 joined a Christian ministry and now runs New World Ministries, Inc.




CALEB QUAYE WEBSITE

http://www.newworldmusic.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caleb_Quaye

Quaye spent his early years as a member of Long John Baldry's backing band, Bluesology, which also featured a keyboard player named Reg Dwight, who would soon become known as Elton John. When Bluesology disbanded in 1967, Quaye released a single under the name Caleb called "Baby Your Phrasing is Bad" b/w "Woman of Distinction" (1967, Philips Records). Both sides can be found on the Rubble series, with "Woman of Distinction" of Volume One, and "Baby Your Phrasing is Bad" on Volume Four. "Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad" can also be found on Nuggets II, Chocolate Soup, and many other obscure psychedelic compilations.
Starting in 1969, Quaye played guitar supporting Elton John at live concerts around the local London area, first with Boots Slade (bass) and Malcolm Tomlinson (drums), and then later on with what eventually became the nucleus of Hookfoot for sporadic shows. The live support work continued until Elton formed his original touring band in the spring of 1970, the trio featuring Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson.
In April 1970, Quaye formed the band Hookfoot with Ian Duck, Roger Pope and David Glover, all of whom were DJM Records house musicians and had backed Elton's earliest live performances. The group's self-titled debut album was a mix of rock and jazz and included songs by Quaye and Duck, in addition to Stephen Stills and Neil Young covers. Quaye played guitar and keyboards on this album. The group's follow up record Good Times a-Comin' was a more straight-ahead rock album. A third album was Communication and the last album titled Roarin' . A live album called Hookfoot Live In Memphis, recorded in 1973 was released later. The group disbanded in 1974 and Quaye stayed in the United States to work as a session musician.

Elton John Band

He played off and on for more than 10 years with John, both as a session player and later full band member, appearing on all of his earliest recordings and albums as a session player until the beginning of 1972, as well as being a member of Bluesology during 1967/68. He finally fully joined the Elton John Band in May 1975 for the Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves albums, as well as subsequent 1975/76 Elton tours.




Kenny Passarelli (bass), Roger Pope (drums), John Oates, Caleb Quaye (guitar), David Kent (keyb.), Daryl Hall, Charlie DeChant (keyb., sax.),

Caleb Quaye, former guitarist for Elton John and other rock legends, brings musical ministry to Moncton this weekend

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/article/1389370

Musical talent is a gift from God: guitarist

Published Wednesday March 16th, 2011
The history of rock and roll is littered with tales of musicians who died in the trap of drug addiction, and veteran rock guitarist Caleb Quaye thanks God every day that he's not one of them.

MONCTON WESLEYAN CHURCH

Caleb Quaye, who has played guitar for the likes of Elton John and Hall & Oates, will be in Moncton this weekend to give a guitar seminar and a free concert Saturday night at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Centre.

The British-born Quaye played guitar for Elton John, Mick Jagger, Hall & Oates and many other music legends in a career that started in the heady days of the mid-60s. He has said he smoked his first marijuana while playing with Jagger and that led him down the road of drug and alcohol abuse until the late 1970s, when a spiritual experience turned his life around. Since 1982, he has embraced faith as a musician/evangelist.
This weekend, he will be in Moncton to conduct guitar workshops and perform a free concert at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Centre Saturday night. On Sunday, he will speak to the church's congregation about his life experiences.
In a telephone interview with the Times & Transcript, Quaye said he nearly ended in a pit of self-destruction like such well-known entertainers as Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and even Elvis Presley. He says musicians, artists and other creative people are often drawn into a life of abuse because they lose control of their own creativity and direction.
"Music and the arts are a gift from God, and there is a purpose to it. So why do so many people go off the deep end? God gives this gift for the purpose of blessing people. When God gives a gift, he doesn't switch it off and he's not sorry that he gave the gift, but it's up to us what we do with it, and in order to keep that gift in its proper perspective, we have to simply be in a relationship with the giver of that gift. And if we're not in a relationship with the giver of that gift, the very gift and all the adulation that comes along with it becomes a curse and there is no peace. That's why musicians and creative people often turn to drugs in an a futilistic attempt to try and find some peace, because you can't switch it off."
He says the magic of being onstage performing is intoxicating in itself but performers need to learn how to control it.
"Otherwise, you think it's you, and it's not."
Born in London in 1948, Quaye grew up in a family of jazz musicians and was surrounded by creative people who had drug and alcohol problems. He started playing piano at the age of four, and started on guitar at 12. By the age of 15, he left high school and was working in a recording studio and record publishing company at the height of Beatlemania. He got in trouble for giving an unknown singer named Reg Dwight free time in the studio. The boss was about to fire him until Caleb played demo tapes by the piano player who would late be known as Elton John. Quaye later toured with Elton John and worked on many of the singer's albums. His guitar playing can be heard on such big hits as Island Girl and Tiny Dancer.
In an interview with Christian Musician magazine, Quaye said he first got involved with drugs in 1966, when Mick Jagger handed him a big joint and said: "you must smoke some of this."
From there, he continued to live the rock and roll lifestyle until 1978. He was on tour with Hall & Oates, it was 5 a.m. after a wild party when a voice told him his life was going to change. His life did change for the worse as his marriage fell apart and he fell into financial ruin. In 1982, he found help and turned to religion.
Later, the mysterious voice became the basis for his autobiography, which is suitably titled: "A Voice Louder Than Rock & Roll."
Today, Quaye makes his home in California and travels around spreading his word to adults and youth. He especially likes working with young people who want to improve their guitar skills and avoid the path to destruction.
On Saturday morning, he will offer a two-hour guitar players' workshop from 10 a.m. to noon at the Moncton Wesleyan's Life Centre auditorium. This workshop is free to Guitar Church registrants and open to the general public for a one-time fee of $10. On Saturday at 7 p.m., he will perform a free concert in the Life Centre. On Sunday morning he will share his unique life story during Moncton Wesleyan's regular Sunday morning service beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Centre. All events are open to the general public and everyone is welcome and invited to attend.
"We are very excited to have a legend like Caleb Quaye here with us this weekend to kick off our Guitar Church program and share his powerful life story in our Sunday service. His reputation both as a guitar player and a Christ-follower is second to none and I'm really looking forward to learning from him myself," says Jason Muir, Moncton Wesleyan's pastor of worship arts and director of Guitar Church Moncton.
The Wesleyan Church is kicking off its new Guitar Church Christian guitar club program this weekend. This eight-week series of clinics and lessons has already enjoyed great success in other parts of the country and is open to the benefit of anyone in the Moncton area, of all faiths, backgrounds, ages and skill levels. Classes are offered at the beginner, intermediate and advanced skill level each Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon beginning with Quaye's two-hour workshop March 19. Interested individuals can still register at Moncton Wesleyan's reception desk Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by calling 857-2293. The cost for the eight-week series of clinics and lessons is $150.



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Bit of an unusual one, this, as the article wasn't originally published in The Ptolemaic Terrascope.

 http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Features/Hookfoot.htm

However - I did originally research and write it for the Terrascope, but as publication of the first issue, in 1989,was delayed I decided instead to submit it to Bucketfull of Brains magazine (which I'd been writing for for the previous six or seven years). The feature duly appeared in Bucketfulls 29 and 30 in 1989.


Scouting around the internet in search of something or another recently I realised though that there was actually very little information out there about Hookfoot, and what there was was largely incorrect (for the record, former Kiss member Bob Kulick, an American, wasn't a pivotal member of the later line-ups of Hookfoot - he actually appears only on one song, 'Sweet Sweet Funky Music', playing second lead guitar; and there are no Hookfoot recordings featuring former Cochise member Mick Grabham)


Part of the problem is that Hookfoot were, as you'll read, very much a band of "musician's musicians". All of them were in great demand as session players, both individually and collectively. As well as backing Elton John on many of his early albums they also perform en masse on Mick Grabham's 'Mick The Lad' solo LP (possibly it was this which led to the misinformation that Grabham was himself a Hookfoot member) and on Steve Swindell's solo LP from 1974 (the astute amongst you may recognise Swindell's name as a former Hawkwind member). The band also backed Harry Pitch and Zack Laurence on the chart-topping one-hit wonder 'Groovin' With Mr Bloe'; and although his voice is perhaps an acquired taste, Long John Baldry's 'It Ain't Easy' LP from 1971 also featured bassist Dave Glover, drummer Roger Pope and guitarist Caleb Quaye throughout, some of the songs sounding distinctly Hoofoot-esque.


Another part of the problem was, quite frankly, their music. Great songwriters, great musicians, but their tastes strayed too far towards bluesy country funk for the heads to ever fully embrace them. A bit like Steve Stills, in some ways: you kinda dug the way he did it, but not always what he actually did. Thing is though, Caleb Quaye was undeniably one of THE finest guitar players the UK has ever produced - not for nothing did Eric Clapton surprise David Letterman a lttle while ago by informing him "I'm not the world's best guitar player. Caleb Quaye is." - and I can't help wondering, if Hookfoot had played hard rock and psychedelia, whether their albums might not today be held in the same kind of reverential, big-dollar high esteem by collectors as, say, Little Free Rock, Ashkan, Aunt Mary, Blonde on Blonde and especially I suppose Black Cat Bones (who likewise featured a stellar guitar player in the shape of a young Paul Kossoff). I still challenge any fan of the above not to go into a toe-curling trance of guitar-fuelled ecstasy on hearing Hookfoot blister through 'Nature Changes' on the 'Live in Memphis' album though, or to goggle in awe at the pyrotechnics on display on all twelve minutes of 'Shoe Shine Boy', one of the otherwise unreleased songs on the 'Headlines' compilation album.


As it is though, Hookfoot's albums are scarce, but not really worth that much when it comes down to it. I'd definitely implore you to move Heaven and Earth to track down at the very least 'Communication' and 'Good Times a' Comin', my own two personal favourites; but don't sweat too much if you never find the others. I'm not even sure they've even been released on CD - I'd certainly be very surprised if 'Headlines' has, and I don't think I've ever seen a copy of 'Roarin'' on sale legitimately either. Live in Memphis 1972', being a more recent release (and one which I should confess up front I had a hand in putting out), is probably a bit easier to track down.


So anyway, I thought it was about time I gathered together all my Hookfoot ephemera in one place and published it here on Terrascope Online. By all means get in touch if you have any questions or anything to add to it. Just don't bother hurling abuse. I know they weren't the greatest band in the world. I just happened to love them very, very much indeed...


Phil McMullen

Editor, Terrascope Online - April 2010

contact: editor (at) terrascope.co.uk

	(above) Caleb Quaye's 'Baby Your Phasing is Bad' 45, much beloved of psych compilations (below) 'The Opener' 45 (non-album B-side of 'Sweet Sweet Funky Music'). 'Heart to Heart Talking' / 'Red Man' 45, with 'Freedom (Nobody's Shoes) on the flip. All cuts otherwise unreleased.
An earlier 45, 'Hookfoot' / 'The Way of The Musician' on Page One, has come to light since I originally compiled this in 1998. I have a feeling it was released only in France. The Memphis 1972 live CD (below) was released after this discog was published.	Promo photo of The Soul Agents, with Roger Pope on the right 1st edition 'Communication' cover with title sticker on the front. These were later omitted. U.S cover of 'Roaring' (their 4th album, hence the number 4). Presumably the American Civil War scenes found on the UK cover were judged to be inappropriate.
	(above) Debut 45 on Page One Records (Left) First edition UK cover of the 'Roaring' LP. Copies like this are extremely scarce - I've only ever seen a couple in a lifetime of digging around in second-hand record shops.
	Front cover of 'Headlines', the double LP compilation put out by DJM a year or so after Hookfoot's demise. Interestingly, it includes 4 non-album cuts, but no live material and none of the band's singles!
	Liner notes for the ultra-rare 1984 Caleb Quaye solo album 'From Darkness Unto Light'
	Cutting from Ptolemaic Terrascope magazine
	Cover for the Live in Memphis 1972 album, released by SPM Records in Germany in 1990. Fred Gandy had got hold of and kept the master tapes at his house, and after I interviewed him (in 1989, see above) I shopped around a few labels I knew might be interested in doing something with them. My original liner notes for the release are shown below, though I claim no credit for the title or indeed the cover (the live photo is taken from the inside sleeve of the 'Headlines' double compilation album)
Review of Japanese reissues from Terrascope, September 2010: HOOKFOOT – A PIECE OF PYE HOOKFOOT - HOOKFOOT HOOKFOOT – GOOD TIMES A’COMIN’ HOOKFOOT - COMMUNICATION HOOKFOOT – ROARING (CDs from www.airmailrecordings.com) The Japanese reissues of revered 1970s rockers Hookfoot’s four albums, plus the previously unreleased collection of early recordings ‘A Piece of Pye’, are not exactly easy to get hold of – but oh, my goodness do they ever repay your investment of time, money and effort with rich rewards. The band’s four albums, listed above in chronological order beginning with their 1971 self-titled debut and closing with their hard to find 1973 swansong collection ‘Roaring’, are all padded out with additional recordings that date from around the same time as each release. The die-hard fan (and there must be another one out there somewhere!) will probably have all the extra songs as they each appeared in 1975 on the posthumous Hookfoot double LP compilation ‘Headlines’: a cover of Stephen Stills’ ‘Bluebird’ on ‘Hookfoot’, the Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter’ on ‘Good Times a’ Comin’’, James Taylor’s ‘Fire & Rain’ on ‘Communication’ (for my money the band’s strongest album overall) and the Byrds’ ‘So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star’ on ‘Roaring’. Other, earlier, songs from ‘Headlines’ also appear on the ‘A Piece of Pye’ collection: the bluesy filler ‘S.B.W.’ [Sonny Bow Williamson] and the guitar heroics tour-de-force jamthat is ‘Shoeshine Boy’ – oh, dear Lord how well I remember that one blowing my socks off when I first heard it as a teenager! The remaining material on ‘A Piece of Pye’ was completely new to me – early recordings by the sound of it, all of them credited to guitarist Caleb Quaye, and sadly none of them with the possible exception of ‘You Better Get On’, a showcase bluesy groover that sounds like it might’ve been the highlight of their live set at the time, up to the standard of the stunning ‘The Way of the Musician’ debut 45 released on Page One in France which unfortunately remains un-re-released to this day. It’s must be a contender for some future late 60s compilation, surely, just as Caleb Quaye's 'Baby Your Phasing is Bad' recorded immediately pre-Hookfoot is a something of a staple requirement. There's a fair bit of other un-re-released still languishing on 'B' sides of various singles as well, including 'Heart to Heart Talking', 'Red Man', 'Freedom (Nobody's Shoes), 'Hookfoot' (the song the band became named after, apparently due to drummer Roger Pope's habit of hooking his wayward kit back towards him while playing) and 'The Opener' (original B-side of 'Sweet Sweet Funky Music' from Good Times a' Comin'). Plus, the live album that I must confess had a hand in releasing via the SPM label in Germany back in the early 1990s is also overdue for some reissue attention. None of this detracts however from the superb quality of these reissues. The covers are exact, detailed reproductions of the originals in miniature, right down to - get this - the dimpled card stock used on original copies of the first two Hookfoot LPs. Even the title sticker on the 'Communication' album is an actual piece of paper pasted on top of the Rizla packet lettering, again as it was on the original - later reissues didn't have this, and as it was hand-done every one is in a slightly different place, or sometimes at a different angle. The 'Piece of Pye' album also includes some liner notes by Caleb Quaye himself, which is a really nice touch. Seriously, if I had unlimited funds I'd seek to replace every CD in my collection with one of these Japanese paper sleeve reissues! I notice this is already Vol. 69 in the "British Legends" series so I've got some serious digging ahead of me it seems. More on the mighty Hookfoot meanwhile can be read in our feature on the band from a while back: Hookfoot (Phil McMullen)

January 2009 Brazen Guitars at the NAMM Show with Caleb Quaye

http://www.brazenguitars.com/press.html

Caleb's Band Page
http://www.newworldmusic.org/Caleb_s_Band_Page.html

Caleb Quaye and the Faculty   

Members:
Caleb Quaye - Lead Guitar
Charles Williams - Keyboard
Doug Mathews - Drums
Robert "Pee Wee" Hill - Bass

Caleb Quaye has a worldwide reputation as a signature lead guitar player since the late 60’s and early 70’s. He is known most notably as Elton John’s original lead guitarist having played on all the “early stuff”, as well as numerous studio sessions for many other name artists, such as Harry Nillson, Beach Boys, Joan Baez, Al Kooper, David Foster, John Klemmer, Eddie Henderson, Dusty Springfield, Liza Minnelli, Brenda Russell, Joan Baez, Ralph McTell, Pete Townsend, The Troggs, Hall & Oates.

Charles Williams:  Has performed or recorded with such artists as Philip Bailey, Andrae Crouch, Billy Davis and Marilyn McCoo, Stephanie Mills, Deniece Williams, The Midniters, Ry Cooder and Los Lobos, to name but a few. Charles continues to perform, write, arrange and produce across various genres of music while serving as pastor of Grace Chapel in Inglewood, California for over 17 years.

Robert “Pee Wee” Hill: an outstanding bass player and longtime friend of Caleb’s has performed or recorded with Billy Preston, Sly Stone, Jimmy Smith, Rufus, Chaka Kahn, Bob Dylan, T-Bone Burnett. He and his wife Michiko, herself an accomplished keyboard player own and run Masters Crib recording studio in Pasadena, CA.

Doug Mathews: an accomplished drummer in a diversity of styles has played with Phil Keaggy, Howard Roberts, Rique Pantoja, Rick Elias, Red Young, Tommy Walker.

 To purchase CD's go to the Resource page or download from iTunes
  Caleb Quaye and the Faculty YouTube Channel

Interview with Christian Musician Magazine

Christian Musician: Caleb, paint a brief picture of your musical heritage (even though it was rough) and how that set the course for your own musical ambitions.

Caleb Quaye: I was born into a musical family. My father was a professional jazz musician who was quite famous in England and Europe. As a child, growing up, I enjoyed a rich musical heritage, because some of the world’s greatest musicians and singers came through our house, as friends of my parents. My dad was good friends with Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and members of Duke Ellington’s orchestra, along with Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Billie Holliday and many others. We were the odd family in our very conservative, English neighborhood, because we were listening to a lot of jazz and blues.

My dad played records all the time, as well as playing the piano or the guitar. Music was the air we breathed in our house. He also had his own band. My mother and grandmother would cook the Sunday dinner and, after we were through, my father and these musicians would go into the front room (what Americans call the living room) and they would jam. 

His band had sax players and trumpet players. So, they could really put out some noise, especially in that enclosed space.  We'd sit in the dining room and listen to them play and, after a while, I would sneak into the front room and sit on the floor to watch them.  It wasn't hard to sneak in without being seen, because the air in the room would be filled with smoke, as thick as pea soup.  Every member of the band, including my father, would be smoking marijuana.

I had inherited my father’s gift for music and started playing the piano when I was four, drums when I was seven and then the guitar when I was twelve. As a young boy I wanted to be like my dad. I never wanted to be what other boys of my age aspired to, such as policemen, soldiers, firemen, etc. I just wanted to be able to make this wonderful, musical sound that I used to hear in my house. One thing that I observed, but could not understand as a young boy, was how these incredibly gifted musicians could be so messed up in their lives, with alcohol and drugs. Little did I know that, later on, I would traverse the same path and find out for myself, the hard way.

CM: There is much more behind the statement "guitarist for Elton John." Tell us how you met Elton and the role you played in his first demos.

 Caleb: I met Elton shortly after leaving high school at age 15. At that time he was not Elton, but Reg Dwight. We were both office boys in what was known then as Tin Pan Alley – which was the center of the music publishing industry in the heart of Soho, in London. Shortly after meeting him, I landed a job at Dick James Music, which was the company that published the Beatles’ music. This was in 1965, when the Beatles were the gods of this world.

Within a few months of landing a job at Dick James, they decided that they wanted to branch out into recording music, as well as doing the sheet music publishing. So, they built a studio by converting some offices. Dick James’ son Stephen was running the studio, but he could not stay there, as he was being groomed by his father to eventually take over the company.

At this time I had expressed interest in recording and writing. So, they gave me the job of studio manager and A&R Director for the fledgling label called This Records. It was about eighteen months later that Reg Dwight – whom I had not seen for awhile – showed up to record some demos in the hope of landing a recording contract with Liberty Records. He had been working with a band called Bluesology, which I would also later on play with.

It was at this point that I recorded his demos and this turned into a work in progress, after he found a partner in lyricist Bernie Taupin. In 1967 I was called on the carpet, after having been found out to be giving free studio time to various artists, in order to help them with their music – being the benevolent guy that I am.

Under threat of expulsion from the company, I pleaded with Dick James to listen to the songs we had recorded with Reg & Bernie. Dick listened and promptly signed them to their first recording and songwriting contract and the rest, as they say, is history. Not only did I play on the demos, but played guitar on most of Elton’s “early stuff” or “the classic period,” such as the Tumbleweed Connection album, Tiny Dancer and Levon.

CM: How did your industry career and your own musical career start taking off?

 Caleb: I started playing the guitar when I was twelve and basically took to it like a duck takes to water. By the time I was sixteen I was good enough to be doing studio work. In 1966 Andrew Oldham – who was the Rolling Stones’ manager – launched the first, independent record label in England, called Immediate Records. Their office was right next door to Dick James Music, where I was working. I became friends with a songwriter who worked for them, whose name is Billy Nichols. In later years Billy has done a lot of work for Pete Townsend, on many of his solo projects, outside of The Who.

 It was while recording for Billy’s first album, for Immediate Records, that I met a music contractor. That’s the guy who books musicians for studio work. His name was David Katz and he said to me, “Caleb, I love your playing and I was wondering if you could help me out; I have a bunch of studio work lined up and I usually use Jimmy Page, but he has just quit doing session work to join the Yardbirds. If you’re interested, I need you to join the musicians union.” Needless to say, I jumped on that like white on rice and that’s how I became the youngest guitar player to join the musicians union, back then.

 Later on that year I got to play on most of the records by a group called The Troggs. So, you can hear me on their version of “Wild Thing”, “I Want To Spend My Life With A Girl Like You”, “Love Is All Around”, etc. I was fortunate to work up close with so many people of that era. For instance: many of the Liverpool groups that were under Brian Epstein’s management, such as Gerry Marsden, The Fourmost, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.

 I learned a lot from a guitar player who was a hero to many of us in England. His name is Mick Green; he used to play for Johnny Kidd and the Pirates in the early sixties. This is a band that the Beatles used to open for, in their formative years. Mick went on to play for Billy J Kramer and then did a long stint with Englebert Humperdinck, which was a surprise to many. He was a great guy who could handle a Fender Telecaster like no other. I loved it whenever he came into the studio. For me, it was an education to record him, as he was a huge inspiration to me.

I read your story of hearing the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album by the Beatles first, before anyone else did. Tell us about it.

 Caleb: While working for Dick James Music and running the studio, one of my jobs was to make publisher copies of the masters of the Beatles’ albums. These copies were to be meticulous in quality and involved a lot of secrecy in the process. The masters would be sent over from EMI studios in Abbey Road, by security courier. I would have the studio blocked out on that day. I would have to make the copies after hours, when nobody else was on the premises and then call EMI to have them picked up again and taken back to Abbey Road for storage. Nobody was allowed in while I was doing these copies and it was quite nerve wracking to realize that I had the Beatles’ masters in my hands – and I had better not make any mistakes, like putting a crimp in the tape.

So, this is how I became the first person outside of the Beatles’ immediate circle to hear their recordings from Help, through to the White Album. I was the person who played it to Graham Nash for the first time. At that time he was still with the Hollies, but I think that hearing Pepper was the catalyst for him to leave the Hollies and join Crosby and Stills. I still remember his reaction to the album, as the last piano chord of “A Day In The Life” was fading out. He simply got up and walked out of the studio, saying, “They’ve done it!” 

CM: The old adage of “drugs, sex and rock n' roll” started to take its toll on you. Set the scene for us and then share how you started to know Jesus.

 Caleb: I first got involved with drugs in 1966. I was working on a project with Mick Jagger and one day, while working on some song arrangements at his apartment, he said to me, “You must smoke some of this” and he handed me a big, fat joint. Being the impressionable teenager who was working with the biggest names in rock music at the time, I thought, “Well, if this is what the big boys are doing, then here we go.”

Along with that, I thought, “Who am I to say ‘no’ to Mick Jagger, who was also paying me for my services to the album that he was producing?” They told me that, after I smoked that joint, I proceeded to play the piano for four hours, non-stop. From then on, I was all the way into it, non-stop, until 1982.

I found Christ or, rather, he found me first, through a supernatural experience, where I heard a voice speak to me in a hotel room in Atlanta. It was my 30^th birthday in October of 1978. I was playing with Hall & Oates at the time and this was in the middle of a tour. The band and road crew threw a surprise birthday party for me after the concert.

It was about 5:00 am after everybody crawled out of my room. While I was sitting in a chair, I heard a voice very clearly and quite audibly, tell me, “Caleb, from this point on, your life is going to be completely different and nothing is going to be the same for you ever again.” I thought that somebody had walked into my room. I turned to see who it was, but nobody was there. I suddenly became aware that I was no longer stoned on the drugs that had been consumed. I was amazingly sober. All I understood was that I had been spoken to.  As I sat there in silence, I made a little promise to myself that one day I would find out who that voice belonged to. This experience served as the basis for the title of my book, which is called “A Voice Louder Than Rock & Roll”.

When that tour finished, basically everything in my life that could go wrong went wrong. It was about a two and a half year period of my life being stripped away: marriage fell apart, financial ruin and the whole nine yards. During that time I met and became friends with Chester Thompson. He plays drums for Genesis and Phil Collins – also formerly with Weather Report. He was putting a fusion jazz/funk band together and asked me to join the band, which I did and we became great friends. It was through his friendship that I came to Christ.

He took me to church on Easter Sunday 1982 and it was during the worship, while they were singing the Bob Kilpatrick song “In My Life, Lord” that I heard the same voice that spoke to me in the hotel room in Atlanta. He simply said, “Caleb, it’s time for you to come home to me today, because I have a new life for you.” I suddenly realized who that voice belonged to. My promise had been answered. That voice belonged to Jesus. At the end of the service, I responded to the invitation and said yes to Jesus as my Savior and Lord.    

As a young Christian, how did you find your way out of the darkness of your past, into a walk with the Lord?

Caleb: There are two days in the calendar year that are very important to me. The first one is Easter Day, as I have just mentioned, because that is the day when Jesus revealed himself in a deep and personal way, which caused me to say yes to Him. The other important day for me is Pentecost Sunday. It was on that day that, after a harrowing, near-death experience from drugs, I got baptized in water and filled with the Spirit – and instantly delivered from all those years of drug addiction.

Once I was free from that darkness, I could not get enough of the Word. I went and purchased a Bible and devoured it. I have always believed and do preach that the three most important things that a Christian needs, in order to walk in the newness of life that Christ offers us are: worship, the Word and prayer. It is in these three things that “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude vs3) is found. These three things work together to strengthen the inner man and continually set us free from the darkness of our past. My favorite scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (NKJV)

CM: Tell us about your involvement with the Foursquare church, as a worship leader and musical mentor?

Caleb: In 1995 I was asked to help develop a national department of worship to help resource and mentor churches, primarily in the Foursquare movement. This consisted of traveling to churches, working with a committee of other worship leaders to develop resources, leading worship and doing consulting and troubleshooting, for the purpose of developing healthy churches. I did this from 1995 to 2000. It was an interesting time, what with post-modernity becoming more evident, along with seeker-sensitive churches and all these different ideas of how to do church, be culturally-relevant and so on.

All these ingredients just seemed to make the worship wars more interesting and bewildering, at the same time. The National Worship Department, as it was called, was an experiment for the Foursquare movement and it was also an interesting education, being involved in the corporate headquarters of a denomination. During this time I developed some long-lasting friendships with pastors, both in Foursquare and other denominations. So, it became evident to me that the Lord was developing a network of what I would call “kingdom relationships,” for the purpose of mentoring young musicians and worship leaders.

One thing that I have learned is that, after living and learning from a lot of experience, over a number of years, old-school guys like me are supposed to give something back and invest some of our accumulated experience back into the emerging generation. There is something therapeutic about that that I enjoy. I have learned that, around age fifty, you are no longer living on your heritage, but now you start leaving a legacy. A legacy is not something that you build, but rather something that you invest or sow into others from your own experience, that they, in turn, can take and run with and make it their own.

So, for these reasons, my base of operations today is LIFE Pacific college in San Dimas, California, which is the Foursquare Bible College. I serve there as adjunct faculty and also the worship pastor for Lifehouse, which is the campus church. This gives me an opportunity to influence young students who are studying for ministry and trying to figure out God’s call on their lives.

What advice do you like to tell aspiring Christian musicians?

Caleb: I like to tell them the same thing my father told me, which was, “Son, always listen to the best. Don’t waste your time listening to people who don’t know what they’re doing, because you won’t learn anything from them.” This was good advice, because, when you listen to great players, they set the bar for you. That way you know what to aim for and, even if you don’t end up where they are, you will come up with something worthwhile, because you’re heading in the right direction. Also, don’t be afraid of learning music theory, because theory is the key to application, to any style of music. In today’s wide diversity of styles, it’s essential. Finally: practice, practice, practice. If you are going to be good at it, you must have a healthy obsession with it, which means you have to go after it. It won’t happen for you without it.

Let us know about your gear: Acoustic and electric guitars? Favorite amps or pedals? What do you record with?

I have four electric guitars that I really enjoy playing these days:

1. a modified ’66 Fender Strat
2. Epiphone Les Paul deluxe standard
3. Nashville Telecaster
4. Brazen Signature model (voted best new guitar at NAMM ’07)

For a long time I used a Fender Deluxe amp that I have owned since 1970. These days I have fallen in love with a 30-watt Marshall MG30DFX. For pedals, I have two rigs. One is the Line6 XT Live, which I use primarily for recording. The other is the Boss ME50, which I use for live gigs, because it is more analog-sounding.

CM: You have a jazz orientated CD coming out. Tell us about the musicians involved and the musical scope of the record.

Caleb: About six months ago I was asked to put together some live music for a media conference at Biola University. So, I asked some friends of mine if they would do the gig. After the gig we all agreed that we should do this more often. So, we have been playing on a fairly regular basis, depending on schedules, once a month at a coffee house in San Dimas, called Home Brew. The music we play is a combination of some historic jazz tunes and jazz arrangements of worship choruses and hymns. It is highly improvisational, which serves to be very therapeutic for us and a blessing to those who come to hear us. I am hoping to get a live recording done sometime next year.

The musicians involved are:

• Caleb Quaye – Lead guitar & vocals.
• Doug Matthews – Drums (who plays for David Ruis and played for Promise Keepers and Tommy Walker)
• Charles Williams  - Keyboards (also a Promise Keepers guy and Phillip Bailey and many other black gospel artists)
• Mike Gonzales – Keyboards & vocals
• Robert (Pee Wee) Hill – Bass (has played with Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Rose Stone and many other, very funky people)

CM: After all of these years as a musician, what does music mean to you now?

Caleb To me, music is a creative gift that is given to us by God. Music has the power to open people’s hearts to receive truth and connect with God. Music is a means of communication of truth; therefore, the purpose of music is to reflect something of the creativity and goodness of God in this world, so that the listener can be motivated to look up in hope, instead of looking down in despair.